Formerly. the Tri-State Oversight Committee served as the safety oversight agency for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. In October 2015, however, the Federal Transit Administration also began to oversee the Metro subway, making Metro the first U.S. subway system to be overseen directly for safety by a federal agency. Following the federal certification process in March 2019, the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission became the safety oversight agency for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
In March 2009, construction began on a 23-mile extension, the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, from East Falls Church, Virginia, to Washington Dulles International Airport and beyond to Ashburn, Virginia. Phase 1 of the Project opened in July 2014. Known as the Silver Line, Phase 1 includes five stations and service from East Falls Church to Wiehle-Reston East. Phase 2 of the Project extends Metrorail past Washington Dulles International Airport to Route 772 in Loudoun County, Virginia. Opening in November 2022, Phase 2 included six new stations.
As of 2022, Metrorail has six rail lines and over 1,200 railcars running on 128 miles of tracks with stops at 98 stations.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Assisting the Board of Directors are two advisory bodies: the Accessibility Advisory Committee, and the Riders' Advisory Council.
RIDERS' ADVISORY COUNCIL
The Council advises the Board on matters affecting Metrobus, Metrorail, and MetroAccess service.
Eleven members constitute the Council. Two are from Maryland, two from Virginia, and two from the District of Columbia. Five are at-large members, including a representative from the Accessibility Advisory Committee.
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Metrorail. The six-line Metrorail system opened in 1976 with a single line less than five miles long. In December 1993, a new four-station segment opened to Greenbelt, Maryland. The Blue Line was extended to Franconia-Springfield, Virginia, in June 1997, and the Red Line to Glenmont, Maryland, in July 1998, making Metro a 103-mile rail system of five lines (83 stations), linking Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia. In December 2004, the system increased to 106.3 miles with 86 stations following an extension of the Blue Line to Largo, Maryland.
An eight-member Board of Directors (& eight alternate directors) governs the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. To the Board, each Compact signatory appoints two members and two alternates. The U.S. Secretary of Transportation also appoints two members and two alternates. Formerly, these were chosen by the Administrator of the federal General Services Administration (Public Law 111-62). Board members and alternates serve terms coterminous with their service as members of their appointing bodies (Code Transportation Article, secs. 10-202 through 10-204).
ACCESSIBILITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The Accessibility Advisory Committee advises the Board of Directors on the needs of senior citizens and people with disabilities. The Committee, which meets monthly, is assisted by the Bus and Rail Subcommittee, and the MetroAccess Subcommittee.
In September 2005, the Board of Directors authorized the Riders' Advisory Council.
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